Pawn
by HellsPadlock
Summary: To get back her baby sister Abigail is willing to do almost anything. Including handing over Sarah Williams into the hands of the Gobling King himself.
1. Chapter 1

All right I'm just going to try this dribble out and see where it takes me.

Disclaimer: Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson; I'm just an appreciative soul that loved the story and wanted it to go on.

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Chapter 1: The Deal

His back arched as she rived under him. A line of sweat formed on his brow. Her brown hair seemed to glitter in the moonlight. His breath sharpened. He was so close to feeling her warmth, so close to achieving the very thing he had spent endless nights dreaming of, so close to having Sarah Williams.

"We have to stop."

Brian shuddered, disappointment swelling in him as he rolled off his girlfriend. 'He should have expected this,' he thought darkly, 'but they had been so very close this time.'

"I'm sorry," Sarah's timid voice said bringing Brian out of his dark muttering. She was already fixing her shirt, and Brain look regretfully as one of Sarah's breast disappeared into the folds of the fabric.

"Its fine," Brian said bitterly turning to fasten his belt buckle. "Not as if this hasn't happened before." From behind him he could feel Sarah stop moving, and felt instant remorse for being so cruel to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did." She turned to face him, an expression of guilt in her eyes, causing Brian to silently curse himself for making her feel bad. "And you right, I do keep doing this."

"No, I shouldn't try to push you. That was wrong."

"It's okay." Sarah put an arm around his shoulders and gave a comforting squeeze. Brain returned the squeeze half-heartedly. He could never stay angry at her but Brain didn't feel like he could bear to look over at her just yet.

"There is something else bothering you, isn't there?"

That was another thing about Sarah she always knew when something was bothering him. He was an open book to her, while she remained very much a mystery to him. "It's nothing really," Sarah gave him a look that said plainly she wasn't buying it, "It's just something stupid."

"Tell me anyways."

Brian took a deep breath; he really hadn't wanted to say anything. "There isn't anyone else is there?"

Sarah looked appropriately shocked, "Don't you trust me. I would never be running around with other guys behind your back."

"I know." And Brain did know; Sarah always did everything for other people. She would never do anything to hurt someone intentionally, and Brian couldn't help feeling that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if she could. "I trust you. But there isn't anyone else that you are interested in is there."

"Brian, we've dated for a little over two years now, I'm not just going to up and find someone new." Sarah's hands rubbed up and down his back in a smoothing rhythm, and Brian felt himself giving into her touch.

He really didn't want to screw this up anymore than he already had, but he had to tell Sarah the truth. "I just feel like someone is just playing with me by letting me be with you, as if I'm only temporary, as if you're already someone else's girl." He let a finger comb through a portion of Sarah's hair that had draped over his shoulders.

"This is ridiculous. There is no one else. I love you," Sarah said but she was beginning to sound uneasy.

"I love you too," Brian said looking intensely up into Sarah's eyes. "You better be getting home. Karen will have a fit."

"Good old Karen," Sarah laughed, "Your coming to my play tomorrow right."

"Have I ever missed one of your shows?"

Sarah smiled at him, her green eyes twinkling in the starry night. "You're so good to me," she said then turned and disappeared in the night.

Brian sat around for a moment longer then pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Sarah hated it when he smoked, but even she wouldn't begrudge him the occasional cigarette. He thought back to the last thing Sarah said to him before she had left. 'You're so good to me.' It was the kind of thing Sarah had said to him a lot, in one form or the other. At the beginning of their relationship and well into the first year he had enjoyed these statements. They were the kind of thing that made him feel like a good boyfriend, something to puff his chest out about. Now however, he loathed hearing her say them. They made him feel as if Sarah stayed with him out of gratitude, or sense of loyalty. He wanted far more than Sarah's gratitude.

Brian had not been lying when he said he loved Sarah, and he was fairly sure Sarah had not been lying either. But it was different; Sarah loved him like she would love a friendly dog or hungry cat. No matter how hard Sarah might try to fool herself she didn't care about him like he did her, and that was the reason that Sarah Williams had not given herself to him that night.

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Sarah smiled as she got dressed for the role of Cecily in the play "The Importance of Being Earnest." She had always been a fan of Oscar Wilde's play and was enjoying the ironic humor that she was playing the role of a girl who lived very much in her own imaginings, not unlike the way she use to be. A sharp laugh interrupted her from her musing as Judith Baker followed by her usual posse entered the dressing room.

Judith was already fully dressed and ready for her role as Gwendolen in the play. Sarah assumed that Judith had been most likely dressed in full costume for a couple of hours. It was the kind of thing Judith would do, she liked to make sure everyone knew what part she was playing and how big of a role she got before the play began. Sarah preferred to make her entrance on stage. Judith gave Sarah an apathetic look before settling herself in a chair near the mirror. The five girls surrounding her were left to their own devices of procuring seats, in the end only one was left standing.

A tall girl seated on a stool to Judith's right began to brush Judith's hair. "You look so pretty Judy," she said.

"I know," Judith replied smiling at her own reflection. "I'm going to see if some of the guys want to come out afterward to a club or something. We really should celebrate my success. Who knows maybe we can even get some guy to dance with Abigail."

"I can't go," the girl standing said. The girl was looking down trying desperately to avoid Judith's gaze.

"What's that Abby, don't you want to celebrate my success." Judith had fixed the girl with an irritated stare that gave her china doll face a sinister look.

"Of course Judy, you know I do. But my sister is still teething and my mom is making me come home to watch her."

Judith gawked at her, "But you're seventeen, you can't spend all your time watching a baby." The rest of the girls nodded in agreement.

"I know but I don't have a choice. Honestly my parents are totally unreasonable."

"That's really too bad," Judith said turning back to her reflection, "Oh well I guess the rest of us will just have fun without you." Abigail looked as if she wanted to say something but refrained from doing so.

Sarah rolled her eyes from across the room. She didn't understand how Judith could treat her friends like she did, nor did she understand why her friends let her. Not a single one of them saw that Judith had no real power over them, and thus they were all trapped in her spell.

Luckily enough that besides competing for parts in plays, Judith and Sarah had little to do with each other. Sarah expected that Judith left her alone mainly due to Brian's influences not out of any over sight. Girls Judith didn't like simply did not do well in the social hierarchy.

Sarah turned to leave the room, when a flash of white from outside a window caught her eye. An owl sat motionless on a tree branch peering darkly into the room. The breeze in the room seemed in an instant to pick up. Something was coming. Ignoring the alarm on the other girls faces Sarah made a quick dash to the pay phone down the hall. She hurriedly dialed home and waited for the tediously long rings on the other side. When her stepmother Karen answered relief spread through her. She talked briefly to Karen but found that she paid more attention to the sound of her brother Toby eating dinner in the background; taking comfort in each squeal he gave.

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Abigail slammed the front door, as she walked briskly into the kitchen. Her mother stood near the table dangling a pair of plastic keys in front of her little sister Stephanie. She glanced up sharply as Abigail walked in. "Abby, I've told you a hundred times not to slam the door."

Abigail shrugged in response, and bustled around the kitchen looking for soda. When she had found her brand of choice she sat down at the table and flipped on the TV.

Her mother frowned. "Abby I need you to feed Stephanie, I've got to run to work for a little while," she said.

Abigail gapped at her mother in utter astonishment. "But I just got home," She finally stammered.

"I don't have time to argue Abby; I should have already been to work an hour ago." With a last stern look at her daughter, she headed out the door slamming it behind her. Abigail raced after her yanking the closed door open and screamed at her mother about the unfairness of it all.

Defeated she walked back into the room where Stephanie sat chewing on her plastic keys. "You're ruining my life," Abigail whispered lowing herself down to the babies height. Stephanie responded by hurling the slobbery keys at her.

"Eww!" Abby rushed to the sink scrubbing the germs, she was sure her sister had given her, with great urgency. "You are such a brat," Abby said over her shoulder, then added as an after thought, "there are better things I could be doing right now."

As Abby began to feed her sister she thought back to what Judith had said earlier that night. "You can't spend all your time watching a baby." As if Abigail wanted to watch the baby. To make matters worse she knew that at school tomorrow Judith would make sure to talk all about how much fun they had just to rub it in. She really hated her life, she really hated how unfair everyone was being, she really hated… She glared up as Stephanie gave a little burp. It wasn't fair.

The phone rang; Abigail lifted Stephanie out of her eating chair and went into her room to answer the phone. It was Judith; of course it was Abigail thought bitterly. She let Stephanie slide to the floor.

"Hello Judith," Abby said with a sinking feeling in her chest.

"What was that," Judith said laughing. There were sounds of voices on the other end of the phone.

"I said hello."

"Oh that great," Judith said clearly not paying attention, as if Abigail had called her not the other way around. "So are you coming out?"

"I can't," Abby sank down on her bed. Hadn't she just told Judith this?

"Mark, stop it," Judith said giving another shill shriek of laughter. Abigail froze; she had had a crush on Mark for three months now. "That's too bad. Well bye then," and without another word hung up the phone.

Abby wanted to scream. Judith had called her knowing full well that Abby was stuck at home, that she like Mark, that she wished she was any where else but home. A noise of paper ripping and something gurgling filled the air. Stephanie sat on the ground a piece of paper torn beneath one of her knees, and in her hands…

"Stephanie, get that thing out of your mouth right now." Abigail yanked the lipstick out of her sister's hands. Stephanie began to wail as Abby looked it over. There were teeth marks on the case, and the lipstick itself was broken in two, half sat munched in the case and the other half laid on her white carpeted floor. "I hate you," Abby screamed over her sister's tears.

The red lipstick around Stephanie's lips looked almost like blood; Abigail thought as she stomped over to the trash can and threw the remains of the lipstick into it. Stephanie continued to scream reaching our toward the lipstick case in Abby's hands. "Oh, I wish you would just go away, I wish…, I wish…," then it came to her. The thing her mother use to say to her when she was a child, how if you were bad the goblins would come and take you away. "I wish the goblins would take you away," Stephanie's crying grew louder, "right now."

The lights flickered, Abby looked up in surprise. Stephanie had stopped crying, in fact as Abby looked down, Stephanie had stopped being in the room altogether. "Stephanie where are you." The lights flickered again. "Come on Stephanie, I've got to wash the lipstick off you." Something giggled.

"Stephanie." Abby was panicking now. She didn't know what had agitated her so much, but the combination of the flickering lights and Stephanie's absents frightened her. Something banged against her window, and she jumped. "It's just a tree," she whispered stepping towards the window. Something banged against it again, and the shutters flung open to reveal a dark figure standing in her room. Abigail screamed. She wanted to run for the door, would have too, except Stephanie…

The figure stepped slowly into the light, and words lost there meaning. Pale gold hair hung in layers from his head. Arched eyebrows and high cheekbones shone out from a sharply handsome face. A slow cruel smile spread across his features.

"Who are you," Abby stuttered her hand searching for the door knob.

"Who do you think I am?"

He seemed to circle around her until she found herself in the middle of the room away from the security of the door. "I don't know," she said.

"Not very quick this one is she," he said snidely. The room filled with laughter, and it occurred to her that they were not alone in the room. "Who did you call just a few seconds ago," he was breathing in her ear.

"You're not. You can't be. You're not a goblin."

He laughed again harshly. His black cloak seemed to surround her. "Try their king."

"But that's, that's impossible!"

"Hardly, you called I answered."

"I…," She was speechless, shock enclosed her, and with it the realization of her words came flooding back to her. "Stephanie! Where is Stephanie?"

"Oh remembered her have you," he said scathingly.

"Oh give her back," Abby wailed, "My mom will kill me."

"Is that all your worried about yourself?"

"Please." Abigail fell to her knees crying every bit as hard as Stephanie had when she'd taken the lipstick from her.

"Do you really want her?" Abby nodded through her tears. He waved an arm and a maze of immense proportions appeared. "Solve the Labyrinth, win the baby."

"But I'll never make it through there." Abby said gapping at the world she had just entered.

The Goblin King grinned leaning in close to her so he could whisper in her ear. "No, I don't expect you will." Abby let out a choked sob, and his grin widened. "There are more dangers in there little girl then you could ever dream. It will eat you alive and spit out your fleshless bones." The girl shook.

"I don't believe this. Oh if only I could have stayed to watch Judith's play. She was so determined to show Sarah up this time; if I had only stayed I wouldn't be in this mess."

The Goblin King's eyes narrowed, "what did you say?"

Abigail looked up confused, the figure before her did not appear to be the sort interested in her life. "I just said that if I had stayed at Judith's play none of this would have happened."

Fingers dug mercilessly into her shoulders, "I don't give a damn about Judith," his voice sounded stressed, "what did you say about a Sarah?"

"Sarah," Abby wrinkled her nose in confusion, "Sarah Williams, she was in the play with Judith, we go to the same school." His eyes darkened and lip curled at one corner.

"Perhaps," he said after a subtle paused, "there is another way, to get your sister back, besides running the Labyrinth." He waved his hand and the Labyrinth disappeared leaving both of them standing back in her room. "You help me to get Sarah, and your sister is yours."

"What?" Abigail said, "You want Sarah?"

"In a manner of speaking, do we have a deal?" He looked cold. 'What am I doing,' Abby thought as she extended a shaky hand. He stared at it a few moments looking almost amused before clasping her hand in his gloved one.

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	2. Chapter 2

Sarah shuddered as the wind picked up; she glanced quickly over her shoulder.

"There is no one there Sarah," Brian said wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "nor was there anyone there the last twelve times you looked." Sarah smiled weakly back up at him. "Christ, the way you've been acting you'd think that you were afraid Judith was going to come running after you with an axe."

Sarah let out a stressed laugh. "Hardly, they applauded for her just as much as for me."

"Don't kid yourself. You stole the show just as you always do." Sarah opened her mouth to protest and Brian stopped her with a short kiss. "Judith would kill for the applause you get."

"You're so good to me Brian," Sarah said leaning in for another kiss. Brian pulled away before she could kiss him; an almost angry look on his face.

"Let's keep moving," he said tugging at her hand. They walked home in silence. When they reached Sarah's door Brain gave her cheek a soft kiss. "Are you going to be alright? You seem pretty agitated tonight."

"I'm fine. It's just a bit of old nerves I guess."

"About the play?"

"Sure," Sarah said opening her door, "Night Brian."

"Goodnight Baby." He said walking back towards the street.

Sarah shuddered as she shut the door. Of all the things to call her, it had to be baby. She considered locking the door behind her but no amount of locks would help her sleep tonight.

Heading up the stairs, she stopped as she reached her brother's room. It couldn't hurt just to check, she thought opening the door. Toby laid sound asleep on his bed, silently sucking on his thumb. Sarah looked down at him lovingly. She tugged his finger gently out of his mouth and bent to kiss his head. An inch above him she stopped as a static shock zapped her lips.

'It's the linen;' she reasoned to herself, 'it has to be. I won't let it be anything else.' "I love you Toby," She said as she exited the room. He would be alright; otherwise she'd make sure there was hell to pay.

One thing Sarah felt sure of was that her paranoia couldn't be completely imagination. Something had happened that night, and she sent a silent prayer into the wind that the rest of the babies in the town were as safely asleep in their beds as Toby was in his.

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Abigail stood across the quad staring as Sarah and a friend of hers walked to class. She was shaking. She knew the plan wouldn't work, couldn't work. She had tried to explain it to him last night. But when she pointed out what should have been obvious, he had lashed out at her. There were bruises on the back of her neck from where he had grabbed at her after one of their arguments.

Now she was stuck with a plan, she didn't believe would work, when so much depended on it working. The Goblin King's plan revolved around how Sarah would respond, as if she were a machine that ran only one way.

Even worse was that thing he left in her house. When she had mentioned to the Goblin King that it would raise suspicion if her sister was missing when her mother came home, she had thought he would return her sister to her. But he was craftier than she had thought. The thing he had left there in her room was in every sense very much Stephanie, but Abigail only had to look into her eyes to know the truth. It was only a shadow of her sister, a malicious creation that turned her blood cold when it entered the same room as her. More than ever it caused Abby to long for the warm touch of Stephanie's hands.

Sarah started to walk her way. Abigail was shaking so badly by this point she didn't even have to fake dropping her books. The girl Sarah was walking with passed by without stopping, and Abigail started to reaffirm her doubts as she bent to pick up her books. Suddenly a hand appeared in her view carefully helping to pick up each fallen book.

Abigail looked up and saw Sarah kneeled down reaching for book after book. "Thank you," Abby said giving Sarah a half hearted smiled.

Sarah seemed to take pity on her, probably mistaking her fear for embarrassment, or nerves. Well the nerves were about right but not for the reasons Sarah would think. "Not to worry happens to me all the time," Sarah said sincerely, "You're in my Biology class aren't you?"

Abigail wanted to wince, Sarah was making her job all too easy, "Yes," she said smiling back at the dark haired girl, "But I'm afraid I'm not too good in the class."

"Me neither," Sarah laughed shaking her head. It was a true laugh, she wasn't faking. 'Not like I am,' thought Abby.

"Are you kidding me? I've seen you in class you're so smart, you always know the answer to everything Mr. Michaels asks."

"Hardly, but I appreciate the sentiments." A cough from in front of them made them look up. Sarah's friend was tapping her foot impatiently, and giving Sarah an annoyed look. "Alright Diane I get the point," Sarah said standing up then she turned back to Abby, "See you in class."

"Wait," Abby said, "Do you have a bio partner for the next class?"

Sarah looked back at her appearing amused. For a second it reminded Abigail of the look the Goblin King had given her when she had made this fatal deal with him. However the next minute the look was gone, and she was innocent Sarah once again. "No," Sarah said.

"Do you want to be partners?"

"Sure," Sarah said, and turned to walk off with her friend. Abigail stared after her for long after the girl disappeared from her sight. She began to wonder just what kind of person she had sentenced to hell.

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He would come at night. Waking her from whatever peace she found in her slumber. If she complained that keeping her would prevent her from carrying out their plan he would counter with saying that the more in distress she appeared the more Sarah would be drawn to her.

"She likes to play the knight to the damsel in distress. She always befriends the outcast, anyone whose weak, she can't stand anyone with power." He sneered at the thought.

"She sounds like a good person."

The Goblin King's head snapped up to glare at her. "You would think that wouldn't you? But do you want to know what I think," he stood to tower over her, "I think it's because she's the one that wants to be powerful. She has to be the heroine and can't stand anyone who can compete with her; she has to always be the protagonist. Anyone who is stronger than her, anyone that can fight at her level becomes her adversary."

Abigail looked down at her covers; nothing seemed to drive him into a rage faster than when Abby defended Sarah. But Abby couldn't help it, the more time she spent with the girl the more she liked her, and the more she regretted what she was going to do. "Can't I just wish her away wouldn't that be simpler?"

"Only someone's guardian can wish them away, or someone who has power over them. That's why adults aren't wished away fewer people have control over their lives," he said rubbing his forehead.

"Oh," was all Abby could reply a surge of guilt for her sister welled up in her.

"What about on Saturday," the Goblin King said, "Why don't you go out with Sarah on Saturday?"

"Can't," Abigail answered. She looked over at the King who had his legs thrown up on the desk and was rocking back on her chair. He had been staring at a poster on her wall and only now turned to look at her. "Sarah goes out with Brian on the weekends."

She heard a thump and looked over to see his feet had hit the ground; an incomprehensible look written on his face. "Who is Brian?" His voice was deceptively collected but Abigail could sense a sharp bite behind his words.

"He's Sarah's boyfriend," she said eyeing him curiously, "They have been dating for almost two years I think."

"He's probably a weakling, Sarah goes for those," he said glaring out at nothing.

"He's actually considered quite the catch, and I figure he must be pretty strong he beat up one of the football line-men last year for calling Sarah cold."

"An idiot then, Sarah goes for them too."

"Actually…," Abby started but bit her tongue when the Goblin King growled at her.

"Break them up." Abby jumped.

"What was that?" She stared at him in shock, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead he stared at a poster of a ballerina in a puffy white dress on her wall.

"Break them up. I need you to hang out with Sarah on weekends, and this Biman is going to complicate that." He hadn't looked away from the poster yet.

"His name is Brian, and how am I suppose to break them up."

"You're a teenage girl, you probably know better than anyone," and with that he was gone.

Abigail stared up at the picture of the ballerina on her wall; it was a picture Judith had given her to promote the play the nutcracker, the school was going to put on. She had put it on her wall in hopes of pleasing Judith but had never really looked at the picture. It showed a dark headed girl dancing with a small blue coated nutcracker in her hand; the dress she wore had white frills and went down to the girl's ankles, the kind of dress a kid would think a princess would wear. Nothing that should of caught the Goblin King's attention.

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	3. Chapter 3

Judith sat combing her hair at a mirror in the theater department. She turned as she heard someone call her name. Abigail stood at the door peering in nervously. "Oh," Judith said doing her best to put as much insult into the word as possible, "it's you. What do you want?"

"Hello Judith," Abby said ignoring Judy's venom. 'I'm getting better at this,' Abby thought after all how could a mere girl scare her when she knew a living nightmare. "I really enjoyed watching you practice for auditions." Judith remained silent, flattery was usually all it took but apparently Judith was fixated on the idea of being mad at her. "I was thinking though that there was something off."

The horror in Judith's eyes as she gapped open mouthed at her, almost made Abby laugh; almost, the darker part of this conversation kept her face looking serious. "And what did you think was wrong?" Judith's haughty voice choked out.

"Oh nothing you did was wrong, I mean the acting was all good," Abigail said slouching against a wall. "I guess it just comes down to appearances really. I mean take a look at Sarah Williams, she has her boyfriend come to every show and stop by sometimes at practice. It gives her the appearance of having people devoted to her, and in turn makes other people concentrate on her good qualities."

"So you think I need a boyfriend," Judith said pouting into her vanity.

"Not just any boyfriend. He needs to be someone like Brian. Someone who is decent, handsome, witty, devoted, someone other girls would be jealous of. You couldn't find one of those just any where." Abigail watched as Judy seemed to consider this.

"What about Jason Woodcock?"

"Are you kidding me? Jason's is dumber than a box of hammers."

Judith's brow furrowed, "Okay how about George Gregory?" Abigail gave her a look short of disgust. "Well then who do you think?" Judy yelled in frustration.

"I don't know there really isn't anyone better than Brian," Abigail said scratching her chin.

"You know what I think, I think it's time Brian had a new girlfriend." Abigail listened to the outburst and did her best to think about Stephanie.

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"Did you hear about Sarah Williams? She has a lover in the army. Apparently he couldn't afford to marry her so they broke up until he could scrape some money together. He must've joined the army to get the money; how romantic!"

"That's not true. I heard he was a married man and she refused to see him until he divorced his wife, and that he finally divorced his wife and is trying to get back together with her."

Rumors had been flying all morning; soon there wasn't a soul in the school who hadn't heard some version of the rumor. Judith smiled to herself.

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Brian sat on a park bench a cigarette pinched between two fingers. He didn't look up when Sarah sat down next to him, just took a long drag.

"You know I hate it when you smoke," Sarah said looking at her feet.

"I need this Sarah," He said glaring at her, silently daring her to argue with him; when she didn't he threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. There was a paused and neither of them spoke. Finally in a choked out voice Brian said, "So who was he?"

"There no one else Brian," Sarah said sharply.

"I'm not saying there is, I'm saying there was."

Sarah flung herself off the bench and whipped wildly around to face Brian. "There was no one else. Shit Brian I've been dating you since I was fifteen."

"I don't care if you were four, there was someone else. You gave your heart to them long before me."

"That's not true," Sarah protested, "I love you."

"Not the way you loved them," Brian said reminding Sarah of a kicked dog.

"You're insane."

"Then why can't you sleep with me Sarah?"

She stared at him shocked before a full blown rage kicked in. "So this is because I haven't fucked you?"

"No," Brian said jumping off the bench to stand next to Sarah, "this is because of the reason you haven't slept with me. God knows we've come close. Both of us want to sleep together but there is something holding you back, someone that I can't compete with, and someone I won't compete with any longer. That's it Sarah I'm done."

"I never would have made you compete for me. I would have always chosen you."

"I know that's the problem you would have chosen me no matter what. Not even if you loved the other person. I'm sorry Sarah," Brian said then turned and walked away.

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"Did they break up?" Abigail cracked one eye open looking around for the source of the voice she was coming to know so well. The room appeared almost empty, but Abigail could have sworn she heard him. "Well, girl I'm losing my patience," he hissed in her ear.

Abby jumped whirling around to face him. He stood tall leaning against the wall she had had her back to, annoyance plain on his face. "Yes. Damn you. Yes. They broke up, they broke up and I caused them to."

"How," the Goblin King said sighing contently, "How did they break up?"

"What do you mean how? They were happy two days ago and they are finished today, what more can I add." Abby shut her eyes bitterly.

"I mean where did it happen? Who broke up with whom?" A fierce excitement seemed to radiate off of him.

"He broke it off with her. I'm not quite sure where it happened, in the park I think, Sarah mentioned going to meet him there. I can't give you the details, I don't care if I did break them up I was not going to watch Sarah's heart get broken just to please you." Abby turned to glare at her mirror; she hoped he didn't hear her voice crack.

Abby had seen Sarah though, not that she would admit it to the king before her. She hadn't been able to get the image of Sarah crying outside of the park out of her mind since she stumbled on to the girl. Sarah hadn't been blubbering nor had she been putting on a show, as most actresses would have. She probably wouldn't have even seen the tears had Sarah not rubbed her eyes.

"He broke up with her?" There was an odd kind of surprise in his voice, Abby thought, but the next instant it had vanished and he was once again leaning back in a chair looking mildly satisfied. "Good, she deserves every rejection she can get."

Abigail's head shot up. Sarah had been nothing but sweet to her and yet here the Goblin King was acting as if she was an evil witch. "You really do hate her don't you?"

"Most definitely," he said without hesitation.

"Why? She is one of the nicest people I've ever met."

The Goblin King reacted so fast Abby barley had time to scream. His hand yanked back her hair; sharp nails scratched down the length of her neck. "Nice," he hissed menacingly in her ear, "Sarah Williams is not nice. She corrupts everything in her path. Every advantage, every gift given to her she abuses and hurls back at you as if it was a broken toy. She is cruel, without even meaning to be." He released Abby's hair and turned his back to her. "Don't mistake her for being nice."

Abigail shivered grateful when he had moved away from her. She looked up at the Goblin King; he was terrifying in the moonlight, yet almost deceivably alluring silhouetted in the window sill. She watched in horror as his hand twisted and a crystal displaying a sleeping dark haired girl appeared within his tight grasp. "Have her come to your house this weekend. Say you need help on something or another. Just make sure she comes," the king said eyes never leaving the sleeping Sarah.

"She just broke up with her boyfriend. I don't think she'll want to do anything this weekend," Abby stuttered out.

"She'll come if you say you need help. She loves to play the heroine, and this will be her last great act." He covered the crystal in one hand, and Abby could see the image of Sarah peeking through his fingers. In one fluid moment he crutched the crystals till its splinters fell in pieces to the carpeted ground.

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Please review if possible.


	4. Chapter 4

I wanted to get this up sooner but I couldn't get my internet to work so sorry.

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"I'm so lost! Why do we even need to know the sexual reproduction system of a plant anyways? I'm so going to fail."

Sarah tapped her pen softly against the desk watching Abigail's outburst, as the girl collapsed with her hands on her head to the desk. "Come on Abby," Sarah said pulling the Biology book out from under the girl. Being an aspiring actress Sarah felt that Abigail was severely overacting her distress. However on a closer inspection of the disheveled girl before her Sarah began to wonder. Abby did indeed look bad; her face was hollow and a desperate look darted across her features. Was Abby really just this stressed out over biology?

"Come on Abby," Sarah repeated, "Look it's not that bad. I'll help you out." The look on Abigail's face was one of such relief Sarah was taken aback. "We'll start with pollination, alright." A ringing sound stopped Sarah from continuing as students began to pile out of the class.

"Damn," Abby said, "Sarah you got to still help me, please I can't study for the test on my own. I don't understand any of it."

Sarah hesitated; the day had not gone well. She had seen Brian a couple of times throughout the day and each time he had given her a sad look before hurrying off. The only thing she wanted to do was to crawl into bed and sleep. She had never seen Abby so strained as she did now and Sarah didn't feel she could say no. "Okay just for a couple of hours though."

"Thanks Sarah I'll pick you up after school okay," Abby said gathering up her books, "and Sarah I'm really sorry about this."

"It's not a problem." Sarah sighed feeling quite certain that she hadn't made the right choice.

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Sarah sat down in Abigail's kitchen feeling worst than she had the entire day. Abby was busy feeding her baby sister Stephanie; the tawny haired girl was making quick and vigorous movements while feeding the baby, almost as if she was afraid to touch her. "Here," Sarah said taking a shaking spoon out of Abby's hands, "I'll do it, I've a little brother."

Abigail looked grateful as she pulled quickly away from the baby she had been feeding. There was something immensely wrong about the way Abby was acting but Sarah could not guess what. "Did you want to get started on the biology homework?" Sarah asked wiping Stephanie's mouth.

"Yeah," Abby said, "We should go up to my room."

Abigail took a reluctant step towards Stephanie, but Sarah waved her hands away. "I'll get her," Sarah said lifting Stephanie out of her eating chair. Again a look of relief swept over Abby's face that Sarah was sure shouldn't have been there.

Abby lead Sarah up the stairs and into a white room, with a small twin sized bed, a desk and chair, and a large window facing the door. Sarah entered cautiously something about the room made her very uncomfortable. A sound of a lock clicking made her spin around, the baby Stephanie clutched tight in her arms.

Abby stood against the locked door watching Sarah with sorrowful eyes. "I'm so sorry Sarah, I wish it wasn't you." A strike of lighting sounded outside.

There was a chill in the air, Sarah didn't know what was happening but she knew that her only hope was the door standing behind Abby. She lunged at Abby careful to keep Stephanie from being hit in her fight. Abigail however was not burdened by any child in her arms and was therefore able to make swifter and stronger movements to prevent Sarah from reaching the door. Even when Sarah as a last resort scratched Abigail's face drawing a bloody line across one of her cheeks the girl still refused to give way.

Something banged against the window pane. Sarah turned to see white feathers beating wildly against the rain spattered glass. The window flew open in a blaze of white light filling Sarah with an unearthly knowledge. "Jareth," she whispered as a shadowy figure stepped into the light.

"Hello Sarah. Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" Sarah said staring deep into the mismatched eyes of her childhood foe. She tightened her grip on the child in her arms, there was only one baby in the room and she'd be damned before he touched it.

"I'm here to collect what's mine, come on now Sarah you know the story better than anyone." Jareth took several steps towards her so that were he to stretch out an arm his fingers could just close around one of her wrist.

"No one has been wished away Goblin King, you can't have the baby." She looked down at Stephanie to assure herself that the baby was still there.

"Your right no one has been wished away this night, however previously I think you'll find that you're wrong." Jareth's eyes trailed over to Abigail, who was crying silently still guarding the door.

Sarah followed his gaze to the girl behind her. "Abby what did you do?"

"I'm so sorry Sarah," the girl blubbered, "I can't lose my sister."

Sarah felt a shimmer of pity for the girl who had betrayed her, Jareth on the other hand laughed. "Really Sarah you would think by now that you would expect your friends to betray you. Who was the first one Hogwash wasn't it?"

"Hoggle."

"Of course, now Sarah just be a good girl and give me what's mine." He extended a hand towards Stephanie, forcing Sarah to press the baby against her chest to avoid his hand.

"Jareth I won't give you the child."

"Sarah I'm going to take what's mine, with or without your permission."

"You have no power over me," Sarah nearly shouted at him. Jareth gave a cruel smile, and pain entered Sarah's world. Her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest. Looking down she saw Stephanie's tiny hands buried deep inside her chest. The babe smiled up at Sarah sharp fangs protruding from its gums, gold devious eyes stared into hers.

Sarah yanked the creature from her chest, and threw it to the floor. The goblin that had been Stephanie gave a cruel laugh and scurried over to Jareth. A red object stuck out from his grubby fist. The goblin climbed up Jareth's leg and on to his shoulder handing Jareth the contents of its right hand, before hopping off and out of sight. The object looked about the size of a piece of fruit, like an apple or a peach. Jareth touched it to the pendant around his neck and the thing dissolved into it.

Sarah began to feel dizzy. The room was spinning faster than a ballerina in a show. Everything was blurry, the dimensions seemed to split, divide, and loose all solidity. "Everything," Sarah whispered, "everything's…"

"That's right Sarah everything is dancing." Jareth moved forward enclosing Sarah as she fainted into his arms. He stared at her for a long while, tenderly pushing her locks of hair from her unconscious face. Then he lifted her bridal style carefully ensuring that even in her slumber she would be comfortable.

Abigail watched from the door as Jareth handled the sleeping Sarah as if she were made of glass. Abby thought of the way the Goblin King had treated her, scratch marks trailed down her neck gave truth to that. But the way he treated Sarah was such a contrast to his brutal treatment of her that Abby could hardly believe it. Then she understood.

"You're in love with her."

Jareth's head snapped up to look at her, as if he had forgotten she was there. "Most definitely," he said his gaze returning to the girl in his arms. "Your sister is in her crib."

"How do I know your not lying? Or that that thing isn't back?" Abigail said staring at the girl she betrayed instead of at Jareth. "I can't let you take her if Stephanie's not back."

Jareth gave her an indifferent look before vanishing with Sarah. Abigail didn't wait; she raced from her room and into her parent's room where Stephanie's crib was. Inside the crib sat Stephanie looking every bit the angel she had remembered her to be. "I'm so sorry sweetheart," Abigail said lifting her sister from the crib, "I'm so sorry Sarah."

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Please review I appreciate it


	5. Chapter 5

I just want to thank everyone that review I really appreciate it.

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Sarah's eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a mass of soft curtains and pure white table clothes. She studied the room she was in with the cool precision that had helped her make her way through the Labyrinth. The walls were made of mirrors; large cracks ran throughout each pane of their glass, chunks of the mirrors had fallen to the polished floor. Tables lay sprawled across the crystal dance floor, some tipped over others as if they had never been touched. Silk curtains which decorated the ceiling were ripped and dangled from their seams, bunches of the silk fell to the ground, the largest of these beneath her.

Though its glory was gone Sarah would have recognized the room anywhere. There were only a few things missing she thought. The dancers were gone and with them there gowns and jewelry; only a few mask scattered on the ground remained. There was no clock, signally how long she had left within the room. Also there was not a single chair in sight.

Sarah moved through the ballroom with a graceful ease stepping over table legs and tidbits of torn tapestries. She stopped before a large mirror beside the dance floor and reluctantly turned to gaze into it. She was dressed how she had been earlier that day, jeans and a pleasantly simple blue top. Looking up her eyes met his, and he extended out a hand.

Jareth stood behind her as she turned to meet him. His eyes sparkled in their intensity, but Sarah would not take his hand. She stood watching him and for the first time she felt truly frightened. "Feeling nostalgic?" Sarah asked sounding braver than she felt.

"Hardly."

"Then why am I here Jareth?" Sarah said glaring at him.

"You're here because of six wonderful words. The same words you used to destroy me in fact," Jareth said materializing a wine glass into his hand. The glass began to fill with a dark red liquid as he continued to talk. "To be honest I was afraid for a moment you wouldn't say that oh so familiar phrase, but you really are predictable my dear."

"The words?" Sarah thought back to the bedroom tried to remember just what it was she had said. It was there, those simple lines that lead her to defeat the Goblin King; she could feel them on the tip on her tongue burning at her lips like acid. She felt them there dangled just beyond her reach but try as she might she could not wrap her tongue around them.

"Yes," Jareth hissed drawing the cup to his lips, "those damn words; we won't have to worry about them anymore." His pendant shone against his skin.

"What are you going to do with me?" Sarah said moving back so she was pressed against the cool mirror.

Jareth smiled viciously and Sarah took in for the first time the way he was dressed. He was dressed in light armor of dark blue and black, so that his blond hair appeared to be the moon on a midnight sky. He looked like a regular Ares heading out to war, no not Ares but perhaps some Norse God like Odin or Thor. The only thing Sarah thought that was missing from his assemble was for him to be swinging a large axe.

Jareth leaned in so she could just smell the smallest trace of wine on his breath. Moving close to her ear he whispered, "I'm going to leave you here to rot."

Sarah gasped and attempted to pull back outraged by his nearness, but found that with her back pressed against a wall she had little if any room to maneuver. Jareth took advantage of the moment to yank her closer with his empty hand. Drawing her ear up to his lips, he said in a dark voice, "I'm going to leave you here in the destruction of your dreams until you've become as mad as I am."

Jareth released Sarah so she collapsed on the hard dance floor. He gulped down the rest of his wine and disappeared. Sarah was left alone on the floor, the words 'It's not fair' ringing in her ears.

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Sarah began with little things. She started by picking up the tables and setting them right; more because she was annoyed by tripping over them then really feeling bothered by the mess. However it had felt good to be doing something, so she began to pick up other things as well.

The night before she had cried, even attempted to smash a mirror, but she had stopped soon feeling the pile of stress the last days had left on her work its way into exhaustion. Brian had just broken up with her, Abby had betrayed her, and here she was once again back in a world she had claimed to be done with. She slept soundlessly trapped in her crystal dream, and dreaming of a song that never ended.

Sarah bent to scoop up a couple of glass chunks around the mirrors. She couldn't fix the cracks but felt that cleaning up the larger pieces of the broken glass helped in a small way. She set all the pieces she collected in a corner, having no where else to throw them. The changes she made were small. She doubted that anyone would have noticed the difference she had made, but in a small way it helped.

Sarah was pleased to find that Jareth did not mean to go to all extremes in his torture. He had added a small power room which contained a toilet and shower. There was also a chest in the room filled with similar clothing to what Sarah had worn on her first trip to the Labyrinth. The only disturbing thing she found was at the bottom of the trunk where a familiar white ballroom dress rested.

Food had appeared in the morning and was again replaced at lunch. Sarah didn't dare to so much as touch it. By the end of the day her hunger pains were becoming more frequent and Sarah was forced to throw a table cloth over the food to avoid the temptation. It was not an hour later that Jareth appeared.

Sarah jumped as she heard the sound of fabric being ripped off the table behind her. Over her shoulder she saw Jareth standing the white table cloth hanging from one hand, the other busily pouring wine. "Join me for supper Sarah," he said not looking at her.

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled turning back to the masks she had been picking up. She silently prayed that she would be safe with her back turn towards him, but an arm that wrapped around her waist told her otherwise.

"Starving yourself won't work sweetheart, you'll never die here," he said drawing her up to her feet, "and you'll never leave either. So join me." With that he dropped his hands from around her waist and walked back to the table. Wishing to refuse yet too hungry to do so Sarah followed him.

Chairs appeared as they reached the table. Sarah moved to pull hers out but found that the chair was stuck to the ground. Jareth watched as Sarah fought to move the chair with futile effort. He stepped forward and pulled the chair out for her in one swift movement. "I didn't think it would be safe for you to be moving chairs in here; I remember what you did with the last ones."

Sarah glared as she sank down in her seat. She tried not to jump as Jareth slid her chair in, before taking his own chair. He raised his fork and eyes never leaving Sarah took a bite. When Sarah didn't make any move towards her own food he stopped. "Eat Sarah," he commanded.

Sarah sat apparently untouched by the command. "I said eat," without warning Sarah felt an invisible hand clamp around the back of her throat. Involuntarily Sarah's mouth flew open. An apple piece flew from the table into her opened mouth. Sarah choked on it, but Jareth was too quick within a second his hands closed over her mouth and nostrils, and Sarah was forced to swallow the apple bit.

In the blink of an eye Jareth settled back into his seat as if nothing had happened. Not wanting to repeat the experience Sarah raised her own fork and began to eat. Jareth smiled down at his plate, taking pleasure in her tiny surrender.

"I'm not a slave," Sarah said, "nor am I going to obey your every command. I'm a prisoner Jareth, but that doesn't make me yours. Use force on me to get your way again and I'll swear I'll make your world a living hell."

'Well,' Jareth thought, 'it would have been boring had she really surrendered.' He preferred her riled to being submissive; he had enough subjects to fill that position. "Still pretending to have power? You forget I have your power now."

"Just what the hell is that suppose to mean," Sarah nearly shouted. She was enraged all of that childish anger she had thought gone returned to her in that moment. "I won't let you win Jareth. You're a cheat, but it won't help you win. I never give up."

"I know but neither do I. You're stuck here Sarah it's about time you got use to the idea." Jareth said. He gave her a final glare and vanished; the meal going soon after.


	6. Chapter 6

I hope this doesn't turn out as bad as I think it's going to, thus I appreciate you reading it all the more.

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Sarah started on the drapery the next day. The way the fabric hung odd angles from the ceiling upset her for some reason. The image of it when new was fresh in her mind; she had dreamed again of it that night. They had been arranged to look like a cascading pearl white waterfall in her dream, though during her first visit to the ballroom she didn't remember paying them any attention.

Sarah wrapped a scrap of cloth around the end of one of the larger pieces of glass and began to cut away at some of the more tattered drapes. She used the pieces she cut away to tie up the rest of the drapes. The finished product would look more decorative, and at least less ratty. 'Though,' Sarah supposed, 'it did not look quite as done up as it had previously.'

When meals arrived Sarah ate them without restraint; she did not want to repeat the previous experience of the day before. She returned to work so after, noticing the plates disappeared after she finished her breakfast. When lunch arrived Sarah put some of the trash she had picked up on the plate and watched with glee as it disappeared along with the plate.

She continued her restoration of the tattered ballroom, the room that had once been the chalice of the dreams; a glass she had drunk deeply of before spitting out its remains. She wondered briefly what the dark monarch would say about the room; whether he would care that she was fixing it, whether he would even know.

Jareth seemed true to his word. Sarah was truly trapped within the ballroom and would seem to be trapped in the ruined crystal for forever. There was no escape, not even death could touch her in this purgatory of dreams. Jareth had assured her of that when she refused the basic needs for survival.

Isolation surrounded her, forcing Sarah deep into her work to avoid its icy grip. Sarah was standing on top of a table when something did indeed grip on to her. Shocked Sarah wiped around to face her supposed attacker. The combination of surprise and lack of solid footing caused her to lose her balance and Sarah toppled over into the very thing she was trying to avoid.

Jareth stared with mild indifference at the girl whose body his arms were wrapped around. Without saying a word he turned his head up towards the ceiling where the drapery was being hung. Setting Sarah down, he took her former place on the table and began tying up the drapes in the fashion Sarah had designed.

Sarah watched open mouthed not daring to believe her eyes. 'That's it,' she thought, 'I really have gone mad.' A sharp voice pulled her back into her senses. "I'm sorry what did you say?" Sarah asked looking up into the Goblin Kings gaze.

He seemed annoyed but answered anyway, "Hand me another ribbon."

Sarah looked wildly around before scampering over to her pile of fabric scraps pulling out a satisfactory one she held it out to him. His hand brushed lightly against hers as he took the ribbon from her. When he had finished he jumped from the table with a grace a cat could praise.

"Why are you here?" Sarah asked feeling her courage begin to return.

Jareth passed by her without answering and began to make his way around the room taking note of the changes Sarah had made. "You put broken glass on your plate, the kitchen goblins complained," he said finally as his inspections finished. "I wondered if maybe you had taken to eating glass. An eccentric way to kill yourself to be sure but I never know with you."

"Eating glass? You can't be serious. Besides if I kill myself you win right, you get your precious vengeance. I won't lose this game Jareth; not to you."

Jareth laughed bitterly. "Of course how could I have forgotten the game; that all it has ever been." He looked over at her through narrow eyes then a slow devilish smile spread across his handsome face. "The problem with games is you never know when someone will change the rules."

Jareth's hand shot out so quick Sarah barley had time to register it before it latched once again to her waist. Jareth spun her around so that her back was pressed against a mirror. He hovered over her, leaning close enough to where Sarah could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"I wonder what kind of games you're into these days," Jareth said giving her a cocky grin that held no real warmth. His eyes trailed up and down her body leaving her in no doubt of his meaning.

"Let me go Jareth," Sarah said glaring up into his dark mismatched eyes.

"No. Now come on Sarah tell me what kind of games have you been playing?" There was something off in his voice; it made Sarah's knees shake.

"Who was the opponent you were playing with? Was he a good boy and followed the rules?" Jareth cooed softly, one of Jareth's hands ran up the length of her arm.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Sarah said reaching out her hands to push him away, at the touch of her hands he moved closer; no amount of her shoving against him could make him move away.

"But you do don't you Sarah," his lips grazed her ear, "You know exactly what kind of games I'm talking about." His voice became a hiss," I can smell your innocence. I know exactly how far you've gone, and how far you haven't gone. And I can tell that someone was very good at following the rules otherwise you wouldn't be in the state you are now." His tongue lightly traced the rim of her ear.

"Stop it," Sarah said harshly.

"That's the problem isn't it Sarah, everyone has always followed the rules."

Sarah bit her lip and shut her eyes, she remembered what she should have never forgotten.

"But I cheat." Jareth's lips crashed down on Sarah's neck. Her body arched forward and Sarah ripped her hand upwards in a wild attempt to fight him off. He held her tightly against his hard body; one hand pulling down at her shirt to expose a shoulder.

"Jareth stop!" Sarah nails scratched deeply at his arms and neck; trying and failing to pull him off her.

Then without warning he released her, laughing like a child who had beat a friend at a game of cards. Sarah slumped against the mirror tugging her shirt back over her shoulder. Blood dripped from Jareth's neck and arms where Sarah had scratched him. Jareth's hand rose to wipe at the blood on his neck a genuine smile on his face. "You're doing a nice job on the room, but please don't send your trash into the kitchen's anymore. Just put your trash in a pile and I'll come by and take care of it."

"That's it?" Sarah asked glaring at Jareth. "After what you just did, that's it? You've got to be kidding me," Sarah's was almost squeaking in her rage, but she couldn't bring herself to care, "you absolute asshole."

Jareth just grinned and disappeared.

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"Sarah, come here," Jareth said. He was lounged back in a chair watching her as she fixed a broken table with some of the glue-like material he had brought her.

"If I don't hold this until it dries it'll fall apart again. I don't care what power you think you have or just what you are king of, there is no way I'm going to start all over on this."

Jareth walked over and swung an arm around her waist, Sarah stiffened. Jareth watched amused as Sarah fought an internal struggle, if she pushed him off of her she would have to let go of the table leg she was holding and then she would have to start all over again, if she didn't let go of the table leg…well Jareth wasn't to be trusted. In the end Sarah was forced to make due simply snarling at him in hopes he got the message.

He never seemed to get the message though.

'It wouldn't have been as bad,' Sarah thought, as Jareth nuzzled against her neck, 'if Jareth didn't have a nasty streak in him.' She knew it was coming, had known before his arm wrapped all the way around her what would happen. After all he had been saying things like this for weeks now.

"Did he hold you like this?"

"Did you quiver this much when he held you?"

"Did he talk dirty to you?"

"Did the good old boy really know how to touch you like I do?"

Jareth seemed to have latched on to Brian as his main implement to torture her. Sarah didn't know what had inspired him towards his spitefulness but she knew the answers to his questions; just as Jareth already knew the answers. She had never reacted to Brian the way she did to Jareth.

"I got to go now Sarah," Jareth said nuzzling against her one last time.

"You act like I was asking you to stay," Sarah said coldly. In truth she was worried about how worst it might be without anyone there to talk to. She always liked to have companions with her, preferring the company of others to her solitude. Though she hated it she needed Jareth's companionship.

Jareth smiled and let go of her. "By the way that table leg dried over twenty minutes ago."

"What!"

Jareth laughed as he disappeared, Sarah's cursing trailing after him.

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All right I know this isn't all that good and rushed but I'm really busy today so I'm going to just wing this. I'll try for a better chapter next time.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank everyone who has been hanging in there with me on this story.

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The ballroom was beginning to regain its splendor, and Sarah found herself with less and less to do. Jareth had fixed the mirrors the day before and the largest clutter had been moved out. There were actually moments in the day where she had little to do but wait for Jareth to show up. Who would have thought she would ever wait for Jareth.

Brian's voice echoed through her mind. "I don't care if you were four, there was someone else. You gave your heart to them long before me."

'He didn't know what he was talking about,' Sarah thought shaking her head. She turned to get up when a flash of brown caught her eye. Sarah looked around but it was gone. Just as Sarah began to think it was just her imagination a voice cracked through the silence.

"Sarah."

"Hoggle?" Sarah glanced up, in the mirror before her appeared the familiar looking dwarf. "Hoggle is that really you?"

"Sarah what the blazes are doing in here?" The little dwarf looked in horror around the convalescing ballroom.

"It's a long story Hoggle, but I'm trapped in here I need your help," Sarah said crouching down to look Hoggle in the eye. She felt suddenly hopeful, Hoggle after all had saved her from the Oubliette, the Fireys, and once again at the castle gates; few other creatures knew the Labyrinth as Hoggle did.

"How'd you get in there? It's supposed to be sealed up, I shouldn't even be able to talk to you right now if you're in there," the shocked dwarf said gesturing to the room behind her.

"The mirrors," Sarah said rising to her feet to look around the ballroom. The mirrors shone around the room causing images to dance off of each other and echo in silent song. "They were cracked before yesterday." Somehow impossibly the ballroom was becoming less of a prison. As the dust and cracks of its former ruin disappeared so did some of its restraints.

"Did he put you in there, Sarah?" Sarah turned to look down at her apprehensive friend but she did not need to answer. Hoggle already knew.

"I can't say the words Hoggle. He took them from me."

Hoggle said no more; he stared at his feet in utter hopelessness. She had seen Hoggle look this way once before, after he had given her the peach that had almost caused her to fail the Labyrinth that had first sent her to her glass-like prison. It was not a comforting look.

"You can help me can't you Hoggle."

"Sarah," Hoggle croaked his voice strangely strangled, "I would believe me. I would."

"But you can't."

"I'm sorry Sarah."

Sarah bent once again to Hoggle's level; she reached out a hand and let it connect slightly with the cool glass, gently caressing the spot where Hoggle's cheek would be. Hoggle gave a slight shudder on the other side of the glass and leaned closer as if hoping that by doing so he would feel his friends touch.

"I have to go now Sarah. I don't know when he'll be coming back, but I know I won't be welcome here when he does."

"You'll come back though. Won't you Hoggle?" Sarah said pleading quietly that he would indeed return and that he wasn't just something her mind cooked up in isolation.

"I'd always come back for you Sarah." Slowly the image of her first real friend faded away until Sarah was faced with her own reflection staring blurry eyed back at her. Quietly she rose no longer able to face her own image.

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Sarah's days had gotten better since Hoggle's arrival. He was able to visit her during the day, filling Sarah's solitude with the kind of comfort she had been longing since her imprisonment. Though Sarah wanted to see her other friends, Sir Didymus and Ludo, both Sarah and Hoggle were forced to agree that it was safer to keep the secret of Hoggle's connection to Sarah between the two of them.

After all Jareth had come close on several occasions to catching Hoggle, the little dwarf just barely able to leave in time. However Sarah's acting skills had not diminished during her time in the crystal ballroom, and she was able to play off the scene each time as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. The task was made relatively easy by Jareth's pleasure at catching her off guard.

'Anything to give him more power,' Sarah thought bitterly, as she scrubbed some of the dust off the tables. Jareth had become almost casual with her; he felt free to touch her at will, only laughing when she fought back, taking too many liberties when she didn't. Sometimes Jareth would seem to enjoy arguing with her, staying longer than normal when the debates turned heated. Other times however he would seem out of it throughout their quarrel only to avoid Sarah for several days after, when the feeling of loneliness would return to Sarah and she began to wonder if this time he had truly left her to rot.

On a whole Jareth disturbed her. When he had left her in the ballroom he had claimed his was mad, and at times Sarah didn't doubt it. His reaction to her presence here was both unexpected an at times frightening. Regardless of sanity however what really concerned Sarah was that she couldn't help the way she reacted when he was around.

She could act strong and brave up until the moment his hands would twist around her waist or his lips trail across her neck. She became paralyzed at his touch, not quite finding even the will to breathe. She always knew she was attracted to him; he was after all her childhood fantasy. But before she could push it aside in order to concentrate on her goals, now when there was no where to run, no where to hid; Sarah felt trapped.

"That dust won't come off if you're using just a wet rag, and you'll need something stronger if you're going to get the stains out."

Sarah jumped shaken at the sound. Sure enough the classic smug grin spread over Jareth's face as he began to circle the table. He was dressed as casual as Sarah had ever seen him, though Jareth's "casual" was far more dressed up then the normal persons. He wore a loose beige shirt that when he moved displayed the outline of his chest and as for his pants… 'Men shouldn't wear pants that tight,' Sarah thought, 'it did things to the female mind.'

"It's no use it'll have to be repainted," Jareth said taking the rag Sarah was using from her.

"And since when did you become an expert on cleaning? King training101?"

"It doesn't take an expert to see that you have been scrubbing at this all day and have yet to make any significant improvement. Besides," Jareth gave her a long look taking in the messy bun, rolled up sleeves and dust ridden jeans, "you look ghastly."

"Not everyone is into glitter," Sarah retorted talking through her teeth.

"You should try it I think you'll be amazed," Jareth slide his hand around her back bringing it slowly up the side up her neck, "You can wear some of mine if you want."

Sarah shook her head slightly attempting to knock his hand off of her. "Why do you have to do that?"

Jareth's hand fell from her neck. He seemed unperturbed by both her questioning, and her avoidance. "I want to, and I've simply reached a point where your refusals mean nothing to me. A man can only hurt so much before he stops altogether."

"But you are not a man," Sarah said pulling her tangled hair free of its restraints.

"I'm not human to be sure, but I am a man. I don't think you really need proof of that do you." Sarah blushed deeply; she hadn't realized he had seen her brief appreciation of him.

"If I'm so ghastly why stick around?" Sarah gave him a bitter look hoping he wouldn't see through her change of subject.

He gave her a quick mischievous smile as proof that he realized what she was doing, but for whatever his reasons were left it at that. "You're prettier than the average goblin and your table manners are better to. I'm not so sure about our conversation value but it beats talking to a worm."

"What high praise!"

"Also in comparison to the rest of the Labyrinth, I wouldn't mind sleeping with you."

Sarah wiped her arm around meaning to slap Jareth with every once of strength she had. Jareth was quicker however and had predicted her response; he caught her hand in his and held it tightly interlocking his fingers with hers. Before Sarah could make her next move Jareth's other hand wrapped around her left wrist so that she was held against him with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Don't move," Jareth instructed. The serious tone of his voice warned Sarah not to disobey. He shifted then so that both of Sarah's wrists were drawn behind her back and enclosed in one of his hands. His forehead rested on hers, and he seemed to be almost inhaling her scent. "Really Sarah sleeping with you is only be one of my great plans."

"Jareth, you are one hell of a bastard."

His free hand fell to her backside causing her to admit an irritated squeak as he drew her closer to him. "You know I really am."

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Let me know if I'm still doing alright because I'm not really any happier about this chapter then I was with the last one.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you once again for all your kind and helpful reviews!

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"Hoggle." The dwarf looked up from behind his glass wall in answer.

"The ballroom changed after I left it, was it the only thing that changed?"

A fleeting look of shame passed over the face of the wrinkled dwarf. Then in a gruff voice he shouted, "Watch it Sarah, you're globing the paint. I still can't believe Jareth actually brought you paint, and without even you asking him to."

Sarah knew acting when she saw it, Hoggle's poor attempt to distract her would not dissuade her. "What else changed Hoggle?"

"It's nothing Sarah. Please it's better if you don't think about it. Not if we're to concentrate on figure a way to get you out of there." He looked forlorn and helpless sitting on the ground of the cold empty mirror. But sympathy could be a dangerous thing to be distracted by.

"Tell me Hoggle," Sarah demanded of her once fickle friend. The tone she used echoed another's so well she was certain she saw Hoggle shudder.

"It hasn't been good Sarah, not since you left. Things haven't been tended to correctly, others not watched like they use to be." Hoggle paused and met Sarah with a watery gaze, "It has been better since you came back."

The Labyrinth, her greatest adventure, was falling to ruin all because she made a stupid wish. In Sarah's mind she saw images of hedges over flooding paths, of fireys leaving the forest to terrorize the other inhabitants, of fairies taking over the gates… "How have your gates been doing?"

The dwarf shifted from side to side rocking slightly and shaking his head, apparently unwilling to answer. "What happened to the gates Hoggle?"

"I don't know Sarah I haven't seen them in a good year."

Sarah stared at horror at the small creature before her knowing full well what was coming "Where are you Hoggle? Why can't I see anything else behind you?"

"Sarah, please I promised myself I would be brave this time; that I wouldn't tell you."

"It doesn't matter Hoggle, I already know where you are. There is only place that looks that dark. How long has Jareth had you locked up in the Oubliette?"

"There's no clocks down here Sarah one day rolls into the next without you ever knowing an hour has passed."

Sarah thought of the years that had passed since she left the Labyrinth and how Hoggle, her dearest friend might have been trapped down in the black Oubliette the entire time. At fifteen Sarah never once thought that Jareth might punish her friends for her time in the Labyrinth, now it seemed foolish not to have. 'Stupid Sarah,' she thought angrily.

"Are Ludo and Didymus alright?"

"There fine, I'm the only one that directly betrayed Jareth. He didn't care about the others, just me." Hoggle bent his head to stare at his feet.

"We have to get you out of there," Sarah said reaching out a hand towards the dwarf but stopping just before her fingers could graze the mirror.

"And how are you going to do that when you are stuck in there."

"I'll think of something," Sarah said vowing that this time around she would worry about more than her own head.

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"Let's go over it one more time."

"I all ready told you Hoggle, the creature reached into my chest and before I could throw it off me it took something."

"Yes, but what did it take?"

Sarah let out a mild groan. They had been going over her capture for a little over an hour now; Hoggle was convinced the answer to getting Sarah out laid in how she was trapped in the first place. Sarah however felt that they would have had more luck if they asked Jareth nicely to let them out, in other words all their attempts were proving pointless.

"I don't know. It was red, kind of oval shaped, about the size of a fist maybe. I was a little distracted at the time, I only got a glimpse of it before it disappeared into Jareth's pendant," Sarah said attempting to remember the moment. She could clearly see the bedroom and Jareth's slow smile as the creature climbed up his leg, but about that time her vision had started to blur and no more of the memory could be traced.

"You say that it was red and about the size of your fist," Hoggle said raising an eyebrow slightly. "Sarah you don't think…"

"I'm still breathing Hoggle; I would be dead if it were my heart. Wouldn't I?" Hoggle frowned slightly behind his mirrored prison. In the recesses of her mind Sarah could here Hoggle saying _"You take too much for granted."_

Feeling suddenly uneasy Sarah drew back a sleeve, to expose one of her wrists. She heard Hoggle mutter something behind her but she ignored it and pressed two fingers to the vein in her wrist. She waited a moment frowned, and then raised her fingers to her throat. She waited; feeling around on her skin for the beat she knew had to be there.

"Sarah?" Hoggle ventured from behind her.

"I can't feel my heartbeat Hoggle."

The expression Hoggle gave her was truly sympathetic, "you don't need a heartbeat Sarah, not down here. Without your heart you can't return to your world Sarah."

"I don't like the idea of that rat having my heart," Sarah growled only softening her voice when she saw Hoggle's face. She owed him to much to make him worry now.

"It's just an organ Sarah, it pumps your blood through your body but it can't effect the way you feel, or who you love."

"You don't think he would have destroyed it do you?" Sarah eyed the dwarf nervously.

Hoggle waited a moment then said in a thoughtful voice, "No, no I can't imagine Jareth destroying any part of you; he has to have it in his keeping. You said that it disappeared into his pendant right?" Sarah nodded slowly. "He's so arrogant I can't imagine him thinking there was any place safer than on him to hide it."

"So it's in his pendant then," Sarah looked up staring into the glass, "Well we know what he has, and where to find it; all that's left is to figure out how to get it from him."

Hoggle huffed sarcastically behind his mirror, "Yeah, piece of cake."

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Sarah sighed looking over the repaired ballroom. It was no longer the same room she had entered when 15, nor was it the wreck she had become accustomed to. It shone without glitter, was elegant without being rich, in other words it was complete.

"Now if I could just get you to clean my throne room," a smiling voice said from behind her. Jareth sat slouched in a chair a wine glass resting lightly on one of his thighs, only he could manage to appear comfortable and regal at the same time. "Really this is rather impressive."

"But it doesn't make any difference does it. No matter how nice I make the room it will still be my prison."

Jareth frowned slightly rotating his wine glass slowly in his hand, "I can't let you go Sarah. Try to understand that."

"Why leave me here Jareth, stuck in this crystal ball, why not just throw me in an oubliette and be done with it?" Jareth stared at her as she moved closer to him, a thing she had done only once before, Jareth felt himself back into the chair furthering the distance between them. She always had such cruel eyes.

She stopped a foot from him, and for a horrible moment Jareth thought she was about to speak the words she could not possibly remember. Absent mindedly he clutched his pendant tightly in one hand, the other hand bracing the wine glass. "I'm I mad enough for you yet Jareth," Sarah breathed leaning down over the Goblin King, "Have I lost my mind significantly enough for you to free me from this place?" Her lips trembled against his ear.

The wine glass slipped from Jareth's hand and shattered on to the freshly scrubbed floor. Sarah blinked looking at the glass shards and red wine around her, the image was enough to snap her out of her previous state. "Oh now you've done it," Sarah screamed, "I just finished cleaning that and now everything's ruined."

But Jareth ignored her ranting as his hand reached up to grab her arm pulling her down in to his embrace. Sarah screamed again in outrage but her screams became muffled as her head was buried into Jareth's shoulder. He held her for what seemed a century, long after all of Sarah's screams died out and Sarah had noticed his breathing slow.

Sarah stared up at Jareth's handsome face. The lines of his face were creased in apparent agony, his eyes were tightly shut so as not to let a single tear escaped them. Sarah felt her mouth open in shock as Jareth suddenly untangled her from his hold. He gave a sharp merry less laugh, opening his eyes to stare at Sarah.

"Never," he said. And on that note he disappeared.

Sarah watched the spot where he vanished long after she knew he wasn't coming back. Then silently she turned and grabbed a sponge and began to clean up the mess.

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I honestly must have one of the cheapest computers on the market; it's taking me forever to get through my stories on this thing, as many of my keys keep jamming up/falling off. So I hope everyone realizes the pains I took every time I had to use the letter c and y or to hit the backspace key. Thanks again for reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9

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Jareth sat in the Escher room, watching the stairs that connected into impossible dimensions until even his head began to swim. Where as the crystal ballroom had been Sarah's dream, this room was his; and Jareth marveled at its creation. It was every bit as complex as he was, one turn turned into the next only to disappear completely. A masterpiece!

And yet Sarah had destroyed this room too when she left. He had not planned on Sarah ever reaching this room, but like so many of his other plans she had thwarted that one too. She had already destroyed her own dream by rejecting him in the ballroom, by the time she had reached his.

He could still see her running through the stairs searching for her brother, more feverishly then when she had searched for him in the ballroom. He gave it one last try, an opportunity to save her shattered dreams and a choice not to destroy his. Her refusal still rung in the air as he once again had to watch another dream descend into darkness.

Jareth had only brought himself to enter this room after Sarah had return, and even then only after she had begun the repairs to her ballroom. Some distant hope had returned him to this room and he began to make his own repairs to his shattered dreams.

Now sitting here the reason for the room's initial fall seemed all too close. The way she looked at him early was still fresh in his mind. He had seen that look before when she had said the lines that defeated him. For a moment he had been sure that she was going to say them again despite the impossibility of it. And if she won again, if she had left… was he supposed to survive.

'No,' he thought, 'he wouldn't let her go.' Only the ballroom was suitable enough to keep her in. In the Labyrinth there were too many people that could help her, too many ways for her to escape. He had to keep her where she was until he could find a way to ensure she would not leave. At the moment only he could reach her, therefore it was his only option.

"Sarah," he whispered into the twisted room, "You will never be as mad as me."

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Hoggle sat in his usual position on the other side of the mirror. He looked glum as he watched Sarah scrub the wine stain from the floor. "That rat," Hoggle growled staring at the wine stain, "figures he come in and make everything harder on you. As if locking you up wasn't enough he comes in here and ruins your hard work."

"It's alright Hoggle, I really don't mind." The strange thing was that Sarah really didn't mind. Cleaning was a trivial thing in comparison to how Jareth looked last night. Something raw had broken through his cool demeanor. For the first time in Sarah's memory Jareth let Sarah see a glimpse at just how hurt he really was and Sarah felt a burning need to respond to that feeling.

Hoggle snorted behind her. "You're too good Sarah. Can't you ever place the blame where the blame is deserved?"

"Well I didn't say he didn't spill the wine, but I'm hardly angry about it." Sarah laughed wiping up the last of the stain.

"I wasn't talking about the wine."

"All right then what are you talking about?" Sarah pulled herself on to a table to face the mirror. Hoggle squirmed a little under her hard gaze. She could tell he was uncomfortable but at the moment Sarah really couldn't give a damn. If he was going to make accusations about her then he could damn well feel a little bit of unease.

"I'm just saying you tend to forgive everyone without restraint," Hoggle said staring up at Sarah sadly. However Sarah's outrage at his comment left her little room for sympathy.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just think about it Sarah, you forgave me after I gave you that cursed peach, and the girl that handed you over to Jareth, don't say you haven't because since you won't say one word against her, and you've already forgiven Jareth for locking you in here."

"That's not true!" Sarah all but yelled at the dwarf.

Hoggle stared up at her defiantly, "It ruddy well is. You would have completely absolved him by now if it wasn't for Toby and me. Everything done to you gets brushed off like it's nothing at all, but as soon as someone you care about is effected it becomes a crime," Hoggle was almost in tears by now, "the only thing you can't forgive Jareth for is using other people as pawns, but if it was just you that he hurt it wouldn't matter would it."

Sarah watched as the dwarf burst in to tears at this confession, and Sarah crotched down to the glass in an attempt to comfort him. She reached out a hand to brush the spot where Hoggle's face would be, as if by doing so she could somehow wipe away her friends tears. "I'm sorry Sarah, but you have to see that Jareth is nothing but a rat faced…" Hoggle stopped talking as in horror he stared over Sarah's shoulder.

"Hoggle what's wrong…" Sarah asked worriedly but she too was cut off as the mirror that Hoggle was in suddenly became black. "Hoggle," Sarah screamed pounding her fist on the dark glass, "Hoggle!"

"So I'm a rat am I," a dark voice echoed behind her. Jareth stood on the opposite end of the table facing her, looking thoroughly enraged.

Sarah rose slowly to her feet trying her best not to tremble at the sight of the king before her. "What have you done to Hoggle?" She said trying to regain some of her old bravery.

Jareth laughed cruelly, his eyes flickered over her every move. "Nothing yet, but I doubt I'll still be saying that when I get my hands on him. I'm going to deal with that little traitor even if I have to strangle him personally."

"You can't!" Sarah said shocked.

"Can't I?" Jareth said moving slowly around the table towards Sarah. Sarah started to circle with him but a sharp look stopped her in her tracks. There was no place to run to anyway. "Why shouldn't I finish off this little problem once and for all?"

It didn't take long for him to reach her. He hovered directly over her and breathed hot rage in her ear. "What do you think you can do trapped here?"

Desperate to do something Sarah launched herself at the man that was so very much her own personal daemon. She kissed him; kissed him fiercely placing all her fears and wants into the feel of his lips on her. Jareth hungrily grabbed at her pulling her body tight against his. He didn't give a damn if she was trying to distract him, couldn't think of anything but Sarah.

Jealousy of the dwarf and personal need had driven Jareth into a violent lust of which Sarah would have no escape. She became his prey; the mouse to his owl's hunt. He tasted her deeply with his tongue, biting and pulling at her lower lip. She was sweeter than he remembered her to be as he drank in the taste of her. Her hands moved slowly up his back caressing him lightly before raking her nails down his back His hiss in anger at the little green-eyed vixen's actions.

The self satisfied smirk on her face was too much for him as he grabbed a quantity of her hair and yanked her head back. She let out a squeal that quickly turned into quiet moans as Jareth grazed his teeth over her newly exposed neck.

"Jareth," she breathed.

At the sound of his name on her tongue a dark need burst open in him. With his free hand he ripped at her shirt sending buttons flying to the ground. Sarah looked startled but it was already far too late for her. He was going to make sure the damn girl saw once and for all why she should prefer his company to that of the dwarf's.

He kept one hand tight on her hip, denying her unlimited movement. The other wondered freely up to her breast kneading and teasing her soft mounds. His teeth found her ear and he began to tug on it gently. In her confined position he expected Sarah to hold still however the hands moving up his chest said differently.

He nuzzled her, rubbing his blonde tangles into the only scent he dreamed of. His hand slid down pulling the buttons on her jeans open roughly. Sarah's head bucked back in surprise as his finger entered her. Unconsciously her hands tighten against him. Jareth laughed in genuine pleasure at the reaction and he continued to grind his hand into her.

With an effort Sarah had managed to slide her hands up to his shoulders, where her fingers dug softly into his flesh. Jareth smiled satisfied, 'this time,' he thought proudly, 'there were no clocks.'

Jareth pulled his fingers out of Sarah pleased at the moan of distress she gave at its loss. He tugged at her pants causing them to fall in a pile on the ballroom floor. 'He should have the junk lady come by and collect them,' he thought, 'Sarah wouldn't need them anymore.' His own leggings quickly followed Sarah's pants.

He lifted her until she was seated on the edge of the table, which would be easier than if he had to hold her, besides he wanted his hands to be free to touch her. Her hands were at his throat now a single one of Sarah's slender fingers stroked lovingly down his throat. Jareth froze for a moment shuddering in ecstasy, if this was from a mere touch of her he couldn't wait to be inside her.

He entered her in one lengthy stroke breaking through her virgin walls quickly. He stayed in her unmoving as Sarah muffled a scream. He watched her eyes go in and out of focus as her brain struggled to grasp what had occurred. Just before realization hit her Jareth kissed her, combining his kiss with quick thrusting movements. Sarah's gasped wasted no time in evolving into moans as he moved against her.

'Sarah wouldn't think of Hoggle again,' he thought, 'or for that matter of Brian either.' He had her. He pulled completely out of her only to enter her again, loving the way she jumped against him. She was his. Her hands were at the base of his throat. He pulsed against her; she was close, only a little longer now. Her fingers scraped his skin…

Jareth let out a roar flinging himself from Sarah as the chain around his neck snapped. She held his crescent pendant in one hand and the chain she had yanked at in the other.

"Sarah please," Jareth said already feeling the dream breaking beneath him.

Sarah stared at him tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered and the pendant slid to the ballroom ground. It shattered the instant it touched the floor, and Sarah remembered the words.

"You have no power over me."

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Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

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The world crumpled. The sound of crystal shattering echoed over the stone corridors. The creatures of the Labyrinth watched as a rain of glitter fell down upon the land. Occasionally a piece of torn white fabric or table leg would accompany the sharp little specks of glitter.

Only in the dumps did the worst of the debris hit. Entire tables and chandeliers had fallen there covering the rust and mold with fabric white enough to be snow and large broken panes of glass. The worst had yet to come.

Sarah pushed herself off the stone floor she had landed on. On her hands and knees Sarah crawled to the spot where the floor met air. She peered over the edge so as to discern where she was.

With a gasp Sarah propelled herself away from the floor's edge until her back was pressed against the cold stone walls. 'No,' her mind screamed desperately, 'please no.' but there was no mistaking the twisted staircases and endless archways that could only mean one thing; she was in the Escher room.

Sarah stayed against the wall for what seemed an eternity as she fought to keep herself from having a complete and total panic attack. The notion that something had gone wrong had far from escaped her notice. She should be home, should be of all places not back in this room. Sarah was not left to brood over her situation for long as a winding sound finally managed to be heard over her heavy breathing, and a clockwork melody worked its way into her ears.

The noise was faint, but even thus the tune could not have failed to be heard by Sarah; it was one she would have heard even in the grave. Sarah rose from her perch and moved toward the first set of warped stairs that would lead her down into the maze of steps and closer to the origin of the music.

The way appeared to her as if the stairs had been lined with breadcrumbs pointing the way. None of the stairs held any off their previous confusion for her so that Sarah's only worry was what she would find at the other end. She found her self both anxious and fearful as she neared the person she had known all along that she would find there.

Jareth sat slouched against a wall at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes were tightly shut in an expression of pain. In his hands he held a music box with an encased princess in a delicate dress spinning gracefully on the top.

"Isn't she beautiful," Jareth said suddenly as Sarah moved nearer to him, "you'd never think she would tire of dancing if you looked at her. Would you?" Jareth opened his eyes to stare at her.

"Why are we here Jareth?"

Jareth's eyes flashed as he stared up at her. "You destroyed the ballroom again Sarah. This was the only dream left to catch us."

Sarah felt her hest tighten at the thought of the ballroom, which had at best of times been her fantasy and at worst of times her prison, being destroyed. After all she had spent so much time trying to fix it. "Is it all gone?" Sarah asked unable to keep the concern from her voice.

"All but this," Jareth said gesturing his head towards the music box.

"Why didn't the words work?"

Jareth sighed as the music box began to dwindle to a stop. Jareth twisted his hand so that the princess once again began to continue her eerie dance. "What makes you think they didn't work?" Sarah opened her mouth to speak but Jareth had already started again, "You destroyed one dream Sarah, but so long as there is another one left the Labyrinth will keep you." He paused as if unsure of something, and then with a cold laugh blurted out, "were you to say the words a second time my dream would break just as easily as yours did."

Sarah stared down at him pityingly. He looked lost and very unlike any Jareth she had ever known. He was relinquishing his knowledge to her; he was for lack of a better term giving up. "Let Hoggle go."

"Can you for once not mention that little scab?"

"Would you have me forget my friends?" Sarah said sadly as she kneeled down in front of hi,

"I'd have you think of no one but me," Jareth replied still not looking at her.

"That's a problem for me Jareth, you're not enough." She sighed as Jareth winced. "I need my friends; I need my family, just as much as I need you." Jareth looked at her with questioning eyes. "Let Hoggle go and take me home Jareth."

He nodded and tossed the music box high; turning it into a crystal as he reached up to catch it. One again Sarah's world disappeared as she felt magic surround her.

When she opened her eyes she was standing in her old bedroom with Jareth beside her. He looked defeated more so then Sarah had ever wanted to see. "I guess this is goodbye then," Jareth said turning towards the window he had almost reached it when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Wait," Sarah gasped her fingers tightening on his shirt, "your coming back to see me right?"

Jareth looked down at her, a small gleam of hope sparkled in his blue eyes, "whatever you wish."

"Come back to see me," Sarah said with resolve.

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Sarah felt her life had returned to normal. After she had gotten back from the Labyrinth it had taken a little effort on her part to convince her family that she had gone for a walk in a nearby wood and tumbled of a small cliff, only to wake in a small hospital two months later from a coma. It took a little more effort to convince her high school to allow her to take summer school to make up for the time she missed so she could still get her degree.

Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo all visited her often. They were relatively cheerful most of the time. Hoggle especially had improved looking better than Sarah could remember him to have looked in the past.

But even the frequency of her friend's visits couldn't compare to the ones made by Jareth. He saw her everyday much the same way he had in the ballroom. He'd visit her in the park or in her bedroom or anywhere else she happened to be for that matter. Often on these visits he would make himself passable for human, so that now there were many rumors flying around that Sarah was seeing a handsome older man; one that too many proved the previous rumors that had ended her relationship with Brian.

Sarah didn't really mind the rumors though. In many ways they were true. She had a relationship with Jareth, or one very much like it. That Jareth loved her she knew she could feel it in his kisses. That she was not available to see others was obvious as Jareth would not be able to contain his jealousy. Sarah even believed that one day when Jareth asked her to return to the Labyrinth with him she would accept. He would ask she was sure of that, as he had asked at least once a week since he had begun visiting her.

Since being back Sarah had seen Abigail on several incidences. The girl had always given Sarah a guilty look before turning away. She looked bad, as if she had been mentally beating herself up since Sarah's disappearance, and Sarah couldn't help but noticing a scar across her cheek where Sarah's nails had clawed at her months before. Sarah pitied her but paid her little attention. On a whole Abigail had only been a pawn, and Sarah was much more interested in the king.

The End.

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I hoped you liked it. I know this isn't much of an ending but I'm a person of limited ideas. Thank all of you who have been reviewing throughout my story it has meant a lot to me.


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